The Sicily Region will ask the government for a state of emergency for the fifth time to eliminate the problems and damage caused by the ash coming from Etna.

The Region will attempt to request a state of emergency for the ash from Etna, the first step towards declaring a state of natural disaster.

The President of the Sicilian Regional Assembly, Gaetano Galvagno, raised the issue of the damage caused by the volcanic ash coming from Etna, which ruined the August holiday of many communities in the Catania area. The rain of lava caused numerous disruptions, including cancelled flights, delayed trains and the subway closure. The request for the declaration of a state of emergency came, initially from the mayors of the Catania district, in great difficulty due to the fallout of ash, which creates inconvenience, damage and risks and whose removal entails high costs for the administrations.

Galvagno discussed the situation with the mayor of the Metropolitan City of Catania, Enrico Tarantino, and brought the issue to the attention of the President of the Region, Renato Schifani. The latter has shown sensitivity towards the problem and promised to find the necessary funds to deal with the emergency.

A plan for mechanised ash sweeping has been developed to alleviate the inconvenience. Citizens are invited to drop off bags of volcanic ash at the municipal collection centre via Galatioto. Furthermore, Gema Spa, in collaboration with Mayor Tarantino and the Municipality’s Ecology Directorate, will start the door-to-door collection of ash bags on Wednesday, August 21st and 28th, and September 4th and 11th, at the same time as the separate collection of paper and cardboard.

The situation requires timely and coordinated intervention to reduce the inconvenience and damage caused by volcanic ash. Local authorities are working to find practical solutions and ensure the necessary support for affected communities.

After the mid-August show, calm returns to Etna, Catania airport opens but with limitations.

Due to the ash, flights were suspended: several planes from Sofia, Bergamo, Naples, Rome Fiumicino, Krakow, Pisa, Venice, Warsaw, Brussels, and Cagliari diverted to Palermo airport, as were all Ryanair flights.